Apparatus for making shoes



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June 'f 1936.- J. H. REED APPARATUS FOR MAKING sHoEs Y 8 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 61934 ,Zhi/@milan MM 9 gw i. H REED Y APPARATUS FOR MAKING SHOES v Filed Jan. e, 1934 8 sheets-sheet 4 MN Sm .AN L\ N f MN IQ lr QN MNSQ MN. Nk

REED 2 "RL SHOES Filed Jan. 6, 1934 8 Sheets-Sheet 7 APPARATUS FOR MAKING June 9, 19m

JQ@ 19%.. J. H. REED i APPARATUS FOR MAKING SHOES Fild Jan. 6, 1954 8 sheets-sheet s Patented June 9, 1.9436

PATENT OFFICE APPARATUS FOR MAKING SHOES James H. Reed, Marblehead, Mass.; Charles H.

Reedadministrator of said .lames H. Reed, de-

ceased Application January 6, 1934, Serial No. 705,576 Y 4 Claims.

This invention relates to the manufacture of cemented shoes, sometimes known as Ago or Compo shoes, in which the insole, upper and outsole are secured together wholly by a suitable cement without the use of stitching, tacks or other fasteners. i

In the manufacture of such shoes, the steps prior to final bottorning have heretofore presented certain difliculties resulting in more or less defective shoes. In accordance with the usual procedure heretofore followed, the upper and insole are assembledY on the last, the upper being pulled over in the usual way, the shoe lasted either by hand or by the use of hand l5 method lasting machines, and the edges of the upper (to which cement has been applied) secured to the insole by temporary fasteners until thecement, which constitutes the permanent connection between the insole and upper, has

set. The temporary fasteners usually comprise clamping strips which are secured over the edges of the lasted upper by means of tacks or staples. This lasting of the shoe and application of the temporary fasteners is a slow and laborious operation requiring highly skilled labor. After the setting of the cement, the temporary fasteners must be removed before the outsole is applied. Also, the edge of the upper, being somewhat bunched, must be smoothed down, and, due to its wrinkled condition and the lack of adequate pressure tending to cause it to lie flat and smooth on the insole, the setting of the cement is uneven, resulting in more or less defective work. The uneven setting of the cement is further aggravated by the time consumed in the lasting of the shoe and the application of the temporary fasteners.

The present invention has for its general objects to overcome the above difculties and provide a method by which shoes of this character can be easily, quickly and satisfactorily lasted, and in accordance with which the edges of the upper are tightly lasted over and smoothed down upon the insole and held under adequate pressure, until the cement has set, without the use of temporary fasteners. The invention also includes the provision of an improved mechanism of the bed laster type whereby the above method can be conveniently practiced by simple manipulations requiring relatively little skill.

The more particular objects of the invention, together with the preferred mode of carryingit into effect, will best be understood from the following description of the construction and operationV of one form of apparatus in-and by which it can be embodied and practiced, reference being had vto the accompanying drawings. It will be understood, however, that the particular constructions and operations shown and described have been chosen for purposes of eXem- 5 plication merely, and that the invention, as defined by the claims hereunto appended, may be otherwise embodied and practiced Without departure from its spirit and scope.

In said drawings: 10-

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the machine, withv the presser omitted, showing the lasting instrumentalities in retracted position prior to the lasting operation.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation, partly broken away. 15

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken substantially on the line 3 3, Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged plan view of certain of the parts shown in Fig. 1, illustrating the positions of the parts after the lasting operation and 20 during the setting of the cement.

Figs. 5, 6 and 'l are sections taken substantially on the lines 5 5, 6 6, and 1 1, respectively, Fig. 4.

Figs. 8 and 9 are fragmentary views illustrat- 25 ing the operation of the wipers.

Y Fig. 10 is a plan view of the forepart or toe support.

Figs. 11 and 12 are sections taken substantially on the lines H Il and I2 I2, respectively, 30'

Fig. 10.

Figs. 13 and 14 are views similar to Fig. 11

l showing subsequent steps in the operation.

Referring to Fig. 3,-the apparatus as a whole comprises a bench 20 adapted to support the 35 lasting unit, of which a plurality, adapted for interchangeable or successive use, may be provided. Rising from a suitable base 200 beside the bench 20 is an upright 2l on which is guided for vertical movement a tubular slide 22 pro- 40 vided at its upper end with an arm 23 carrying a presser 24 (see also Figs. 2 and V5). The slide 22 is provided with a collar 25 which is engaged by a stud 26 on the lever 21 pivoted at 28 to the bench 20 and carrying a counterweight 29. The slide 22 is normally held elevated by the counterweight 29, acting through the lever 21, stud 26 and collar 25, but can be depressed at will by a treadle 30 carried at its lower end.

Each lasting unit comprises a base 3 I, adapted to be supported on rails-32 constituting parts of the bench 2l), and from which rises a frame, designated by the numeral 33, suitably designed to aord the `necessary supports, bearings and 55 guides for the several instrumentalities. These instrumentalities include a last support 34 (Figs. 3 and 5) a forepart or toe support 35 (Figs. 5, '1 and l0 to 14), end wiper mechanisms including a forepart wiper mechanism 36 (Fig. 1) and a heel wiper mechanism 31, and side wiper mechanism 38. The several wiper mechanisms include a plurality of independently yielding spring wiper fingers 39 (Fig. 1) of such number and arrangement as, when moved into operative position, collectively to engage substantially the complete margin of the upper of the shoe throughout the entire outline of said shoe, as shown in Fig. 4, wherein the forepart wiper fingers are designated 39a, the heel wiper ngers 39o, and the side wiper ngers 39e.

The work support 34 comprises an upright post guided for vertical movement in a slide 4|] and in a tubular barrel 4| bolted thereto and depending therefrom, said post having pivoted to its upper end a last jack pin 42 (Fig. 5) normally urged toward the forepart wiper mechanism 36 by a spring 43. The slide 48 is mounted in a guideway 44, formed in the frame 33, and may be adjusted therein forwardly or rearwardly to vary the position of the work support, being clamped in adjusted position by a set screw 55 (Fig. 3). The work support is normally urged upwardly by a spring 46 surrounding the post 34 and interposed between a collar 41 on the latter and the lower end 48 of the barrel 4|, said post being guided and held against turning by a stud 49 carried by said barrel and engaging a groove 58 in the post.

The spring 46 tends normally to hold the work support in an elevated position from which it may be depressed against the tension of the spring by the presser 24. The latter, as shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 5, comprises a head pivoted at 5| to the end of the arm 23 and provided with studs 52 and 53 adapted respectively to engage the heel and forepart of the bottom of the shoe 0n a last 54 suitably jacked on the pin 42. The pivotal mounting of the presser head 24 permits the studs 52 and 53 to seat properly upon said shoe irrespective of the shape and position of the latter.

The toe support 35 and the forepart wiper mechanism 36 are carried by a slide 56 (Figs. 2, 4, 7 and 11) guided in longitudinally disposed ways 51 in the frame 33, said slide being movable in said ways to adjust the longitudinal position of the parts carried thereby, in accordance with the length of the shoe being operated upon, by means of an adjusting screw 58 in threaded engagement with said slide and journalled in but held against longitudinal movement by a plate 59 (Figs. 1 and 2) secured to the frame 33.

The toe support 35 (see particularly Figs. 5, 7, and 10 to 14) comprises a strip of flexible and elastic material, preferably rubber, secured at its edges, as by clips 60, to a pair of hollow supporting members 6| having ears 62 pivoted to each other and to the slide 56 by a pin 63. The ilexible support 35 is itself supported intermediate its edges by a centrally disposed toe pad 64 (Fig. 5) pivotally mounted on the upper end of a post 65 guided for vertical movement in the slide 56 and in a barrel 66 bolted to said slide and depending therefrom, said post being held against turning by a stud 61 carried by the barrel 66 and engaging a groove 68 in the post, and being normally urged upwardly by a spring 69 interposed between a collar 10 on the post and the head 1| of the barrel.V The arrangement is such that, when the last 54 is depressed by the presser 24, the head 64 will first exert its pressure through the support 35 on the median portion of the toe part of an upper 12 on said last, thereby holding said upper against lateral movement, and as the last is forced 5 downwardly into the support, through the posltion shown in Fig. 13 into that shown in Fig. 14, the tension of the strip` 35 upon the members 6| will cause the latter to swing inwardly about their pivot 63, thereby tending to hold the mar- 10 ginal portion of the upper in close engagement with the last and wipe the same over the inwardly curved side portions adjacent the bottom edge of the latter.

Referring to Figs. l, 2, 4, 5, and 7, the slide 56 15 is provided with longitudinal ways 13 in which is guided a slide 14. The latter slide in turn is provided with longitudinal ways 15 in which is guided a second slide 16. Secured to the forward end of the slide 14 is an arcuate guideway 20 11 having an undercut arcuate groove I8 to receive dovetailed arcuate slides 19 (Figs. 4, 5 and 7) secured to the forepart end wiper members 18 which constitute the operative parts of the forepart wiper mechanism 36, and by which 25 the spring wiper lingers 39a of that mechanism are carried. The wiper members 18 are connected with the slide 16 by separate links I9 which are independently adjustable in length to vary the initial relative positions of the wiper 30 members 1B in accordance with the swing of the last and to adapt the mechanism to right and left shoes. To this end, in the construction shown, each link 9 comprises two end sections connected by an intermediate section 88 having right and 35 left thread screw connections with the adjacent sections, respectively.

The slides 14 and 16 are conneected by links 8| and 82, respectively (Fig. 2) with hand levers 83 and 84 (see also Fig. 1) pivoted to ears 85 40 and 86 projecting from the slides 56 and 14, respectively. By this construction the lever 83 may rst be operated to advance the Wiper elements 18 as a unit, with the slide 14, toward the shoe until the wiper ngers 39a at the center of the 45 series have moved longitudinally over the extreme toe portion of the upper 12, after which the lever 84 may be operated to move the slide 16 and swing the wiper members 18 toward one another transversely of the shoe, thereby causing the 50 wiper fingers 39a, which are adapted collectively to engage substantially the complete margin of the upper of the forepart of the shoe from the extreme forward end to the shank to move inwardly and wipe in said margin at the sides. 5

The forepart lasting mechanism above described, and which is carried by the slide 56 and includes the slides 14 and 16 and wiper members 18, is mounted for adjustment and operation in a single, preferably horizontal, direction while 60 the heel wiper mechanism (generally indicated at 31 in Figs. 1 and 2) is mounted for angular and vertical adjustment with respect to the forepart wiper mechanism in accordance with the longitudinal contour of the bottom of the shoe being 65 operated upon, and particularly the angular relationship of the forepart and heel part thereof.

Referring to Fig. 2, said heel wiper mechanism is supported by an upright or standard 81 vertically adjustable, in a tubular guide 88 formed 70 in the base 3|, by means of a screw 89 journalled in a plate 90 secured to the lower end of said guide, and is held in adjusted position by means of a set screw 9|. The upright 81 is provided with a bifurcated head 92 (see also Figs. 5 and 6) be- '15 .accesos tween thesarms 'of t=whi"ch .rispivoted atl=;93,.a.de pending zflangeor` ear `941m ausecondxhead 595. Secured to fthe .lower end of. the A.ear 94, as by screws :96, .is a-segmentalworm geary 91...which meshes `with a worm 98 Ion a-shaft 99journalled in. the head -92 and providedlwitha ihand .wheel |00. 'It wil-lbe seenthat by operating. thelhand wheel |00 the angular' position of thehead95 may be adjusted, .while by operating the Iscrew89, las by means of a handle, 89a thereon, its vertical vposition can likewise be adjusted. As shown most clearly inrFig. 6, the head isfformed hollow to-constitute a casing for the-heel :end `wiper mechanism and is partly closed at its upper side bya cover plate |0| (omitted in Figs.` 1 andi 4) secured theretol by screws |02 and cut away, as shown at '|03 fin Fig. 5, to permitthe presser stud 52Y to engage `the rear end of theshoe. `Thehead or casing 95 is formed 2in its *bottom with a longitudinal guideway |04 (Fig. 6) to receive a `rib |05 (see also Fig. 4) on the bottom of .the slide |06, said rib and slide being'cut out at |01 to provide clearance for the rear end of the shoe. The slide |06 is guided at its youter edges on Ways |08 formed on the bottom of the 'head or casing 95 and is itself formed with an arcuate Way |99 to receive' depending flanges ||0 on heel end wiper members formed with upstandingl ribs |=|2 guided on the under surface of fthe cover plate |0|, said wiper members carrying the spring wiper ngers 39h which are adapted collectively to engage Vsubstantially the complete margin of the upper ofthe heel portion of the shoe from the extreme rear end thereof substantially `to 4the shank. The slide |06 is connected by alink ||3 (Figs. l and 4) with a hand lever ||4 pivoted toy an ear or bracket ||5 onthe head 95. The wiper members are provided' with segmental racks I6 meshing with segmental portions ||1 of pinions ||8 rotatably mounted on studs ||9 secured, as by set screws |20 (Fig. 6), in theslide |015. i The pinions |18 have formed thereon or secured thereto` co-.axial segmental portions l`|2| which mesh-with fixed racks |22 seated on shoulders |23 in the casing 95 and `held in position on said shoulders' by depending lugs |24 `onthe cover plate |0|. r The pinion portions |2| are formed with flattened faces |25 (Fig. 4) which,f5when the parts are in the position shown in Fig. l, engage flattened surfaces |26 on the rack bar |22.

It will be seen that by operation of the hand lever ||4 the slide |06 may be moved inwardly from the position shown in Fig. 1 to that shown in Fig. 4. During the first part of this movement, engagement of the faces |25 with the surfaces |26 locks the pinions ||3 against rotation on their studs ||9, so that the wiper members are moved as a unit without movement relative to each other until the Wiper ngers 39h at the center of the series pass over the extreme rear end of the upper 12. Thereafter, engagement of the toothed pinion portions |2| with the toothed portions of the racks |22 causes the pinions ||8 to be rotated and, acting through the arcuate racks ||6, swing the wiper members toward one another transversely of the shoe to cause the wiper fingers 39h to last the upper along the sides of the heel portion of the shoe.

Referring particularly to Figs. 1 to 4, the side wipers 38 comprise side wiper members |21 carrying theside spring wiper fingers 39e and having shanks |28 in threaded engagement with heads |29, whereby the positions of said wiper members,

and :their range .of A.mcwement rlaterally .ofthe shoe', may. be set in accordance with :therequirements. The heads |29 have shanks |l30 received in the split, socketed upper ends of `thearms '|`3|.

said AShanks being clamped within saidv socketed ..5

members |21 in accordance with the requirements. loi

The slides |31 are in threaded engagement with adjusting screws |38 journalled in brackets |39 secured to' the base 3 I. By turning the screws |38 the slides .|31 can be moved longitudinally of the margin to adjust the position lof the side wiper 20 members |21 longitudinallyof the shoe; Pivoted tothe arms |3| are latches |40 having serrated under surfaces urged into engagement with keepers |4| on. the frame 33 by springs |42, said latches having at their ends-lingers |43 to engage 25 said keepers and limit the outward Ymovementof the levers |3|. v

The several spring wiper fingers. 39a, 39h, vand 39e referred to generally in Figs. 1, 8 and 9 by the numeralA 39 are secured to their respectivewiper 35 y elements by screws |44, and each is held in its proper angular position by a stud |45.` Each of said wiper fingers is composed of resilient material, preferably spring steel, and is formed with an'upwardly curved freeend |46. 30

It will be observed that the end wipers are .all guided for movement substantially' in single planes and that the side Wipers', by reason of' the length of the arms |3|, also'rnove substantially in single planes when in engagement with the upper,the vertical component of vtheir lasting movement being very small. In operating the machine, the parts are so adjusted, andthe last so depressed by the presser 24, as to bring the bottom `of the shoe, and particularly the bottom face of the insole |41,'approximately c'o-incident with the planes'of lasting operation of the several wiper fingers in the regions of their operation, respectively. 'This operation is illustrated in Figs. s and 9 wherein it wi11 be seen that, as 50 each wiper finger 39 is rnoved inwardly over the edge of the upper to last the same, its curved end |46 will engage the upper and deflect the finger slightly out of its normal position, said finger by its resilience exerting a substantial pressure on the upper, so as to cause it to stretch the upper and press the same firmly against the outsole.

The method of lasting shoes by means of the apparatus above described is as follows:

The upper 12, including the usual lining |48 (Figs. 8 and 9) and the insole |41 are assembled on the last 54, said insole being secured to the last by temporary tacks |49 (Fig. 1) and the upper being pulled over and secured by temporary tacks |50 in the usual manner. The last is placed on the jack pin 42, and the various adjustments above referred to made in accordance with the size and shape of the shoe. The presser 24 is then depressed by means of the treadle 30 to bring the several portions of the bottom of the shoe into approximately the planes of operation of the several wiper fingers as determined by the adjustments of the several wiper 75 mechanisms and Work support. The parts are then substantially in the positions shown in Figs. l to 3 and 8. Cement, indicated at l5| Vin Fig. 8, is vthen applied to the edges of the upper, including the lining, or to the insole, or to both, in position to secure the edges of the upper to the insole. 'I'he several handlevers 83, 84 and H4 are then operated in the manner above described, and the arms I3I swung inwardly, thereby bringing the several wiper ngers into the positions shown in Figs. 4 to 7 and 9, wiping the edges of the upper over the edges of the insole, and lasting the shoe. By virtue of the arrangement of the parts and the means for operating them, the spring fingers collectively engage substantially the complete margin of the upper, wiping the same over the insole smoothly and evenly, the complete operation being performed in a very few seconds, before the cement has had an opportunity to set, and without the exercise of any considerable amount of skill or care. The operation of the wipers as above described exerts a considerable pressure upon vthe edges of the upper, pressing the same against the insole, but since the direction in which this pressure is exerted is substantially perpendicular to the direction otf movement of the wipers into the position shown in Fig. 4, said wipers are maintained in this position until positively withdrawn by further operation of the operating levers. In the case of the side wipers, such retention is assisted by the latches |40. The pressure on the treadle 3D is then released, thereby permitting the work support spring 46 to increase the pressure between the wipers and upper. The parts are then left in this position to hold the edges of the upper under pressure until the cement has set. If desired, during the setting of the cement the lasting unit can be replaced by another and the operations repeated. Under the relatively high pressure exerted, however, the setting of the cement takes place in a very short interval of time, so that ordinarily no change of units will be required during a run of shoes of the same size and style. The pressure exerted during the setting of the cementI also causes the latter to set evenly, so as to secure the upper to the insole in a reliable and satisfactory manner, and also prevents the formation of any objectionable folds or Wrinkles requiring subsequent smoothing. After the cement has set, the presser is again depressed to relieve the pressure of the last against the Wipers, the latter are returned to their original positions, and the lasted shoe removed. When so removed the shoe is ready for bottoming without the removal of any temporary lasting tacks or other fasteners and. without any further operations upon the upper.

I claim:

1. In a bed lasting machine, end lasting mechanism comprising a slide, operating means therefor, a pair of wiper members mounted for swinging movement on said slide, rack segments carried by said members, pinions on said slide and engaging said segments, and xed racks cooperating with said pinions, said racks and pinions having interengaging portions for holding said pinions against rotation during a portion of the movement of said side.

2. In a bed lasting machine, a vertically yielding last support, a flexible support for the forepart of the last, and pivoted members by which the yends of said flexible support are carried arranged to permit said ends to swing inwardly about the edge of the last and a presser adapted to depress a last on said support to move said members and swing the ends of said flexible support inwardly about the edge of the last.

3. In a lasting machine, in combination, a resilient support for a last, means for moving the last against the action of said resilient support, and means operative in response to said movement of the last for pressing an upper on the last into close engagement with the sides of the last adjacent the bottom thereof.

4. In a lasting machine, a vertically yielding last support, a flexible support for the forepart of the last, and pivoted members by which the ends of said flexible support are carried arranged to permit said ends to swing inwardly about the edge of the last, a presser adapted to depress a last on said support to move said members and swing the ends of saidfilexible support inwardly about the edge of the last, and wiper members movable inwardly over the bottom of the last.

JAMES H. REED. 

